Tired of Yale-Kilgore delays? Relief is around the corner
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ISLAND PARK — The ongoing Yale-Kilgore Road construction project has been especially challenging for during the busy summer season. Drivers have reported long wait times at flagger stops and frustrations in getting stopped long before the construction, with no bypass to get around it.
However, federal officials say the work is progressing on schedule and on track to be completed by Oct. 1.
The 21-mile project, which began last spring, spans the area between the Shotgun section of Island Park and the town of Dubois. It is active on the Fremont County side. Paving is underway, while the culvert construction at Mill Creek is set to begin this month and is expected to last about four weeks.
“We are asking for the public’s patience during the construction period,” said a spokesperson for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). “Travelers may experience periodic delays along Yale-Kilgore Road because of ongoing work to make improvements and enhance safety along this route while expanding access to the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.”
The FHWA spokesperson emphasized that efforts are being made to reduce inconvenience, saying, “We’re working to minimize these delays by actively monitoring traffic movement at flagging stops and using variable/changeable message boards to alert the traveling public of the potential for road closures as well as a 13-mile detour at the Fremont/Clark County line.”
Officials also caution that 18-wheeled trucks and campers should avoid the 13-mile detour at the Fremont/Clark County line due to narrowed lanes.
Yale-Kilgore Road is a critical access point to the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. It is heavily traveled for recreational activities, including hiking, hunting, biking, fishing, off-road snowmobiling and scenic drives.
According to the FHWA, the project’s purpose is to enhance safety and meet the needs of both public and commercial transportation in the area.
Work includes grading, drainage improvements, structural enhancements, base and asphalt paving, full-depth reclamation, and trail construction.
One highlight of the project is the addition of a new 3.7-mile, separated all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile trail running parallel to the road in Fremont County, from the Shotgun area to U.S. Highway 20. The trail will feature a 10-foot-wide gravel travelway and 16 feet of cleared width to accommodate snow-grooming equipment.
Plans also call for widening the existing road slightly, increasing the width from 22 to 26 feet. The road’s original winding layout, including S-curves, will not change.
On the Clark County side, the project will repair and pave eight miles of gravel road leading to the Fremont County line. Meanwhile, the Fremont County portion includes constructing a 27-foot-wide, 3-inch-thick asphalt overlay on a pulverized base.
Additional changes include enhanced sight distances, clear zones, road approaches, culvert installations and shoulder upgrades.
Other construction elements include fixing soft spots in the road, installing drainage systems, and adding supplemental base material.
The project is a collaborative effort involving Fremont and Clark counties, the Bureau of Land Management, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, the FHWA Western Federal Lands Highway Division, and local contractors Gale Lim Construction of Blackfoot and HK Contractors of Idaho Falls.